


Whips and chains

by Srjacksin (SRjackson)



Series: Power balance [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: M/M, Older! Danny, Trans! Danny, Ya boi ain't Playing Nice no more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:52:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25850119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SRjackson/pseuds/Srjacksin
Summary: Danny shrugs, "I've been at the end of my rope for a while now, Vlad. Do you really wanna test that theory?"Vlad forces himself to remain calm, to keep his voice level "You're bluffing. You would expose yourself."Danny lets that ghostly growl slip back into his voice as he levels his gaze at the other Halfa, "Answer me.""No." Vlad takes a deep breath and meets his gaze, "No, I'd rather not."And then he nods, seemingly placeated, "Right, cool, so anyway, I know I'm right. I could feel how fucking terrified you were just a minute ago."Danny shakes his head, "That's why you're here asking all these stupid questions now, isn't it? You don't really give a shit about how I'm doing, you're just scared, because I got the upper hand for once, and decided I wanted to choke you out."His voice is eerily calm as he continues, "You came to confirm what you already know. That I'm not playing nice anymore. And now you're afraid of what I'll do to you."
Relationships: Vlad Masters/danny fenton
Series: Power balance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875745
Comments: 8
Kudos: 100
Collections: Pompous Pep Discord - Our Fanfics





	Whips and chains

Danny loves late night patrols just as much as he loathes them.

The gash on his thigh, (thanks, Skulker) is longer than it is deep, superficial enough to heal by morning. (It might not, by the time he's done though, but that's just as well.)

His vision blurs as he digs his finger-tips into the edge of it, the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling coalescing and swirling together from the pain (pleasure) induced haze.

There's a surprisingly thin line between the two sensations.

It'd Actually been a rather Accidental discovery, the realization that the abused nerve endings under marred skin are so much more sensitive than those that aren't-

It had started out as a bad habit. He'd come home at the ass crack of dawn, (or close to it) on a school night, physically exhausted but far too pumped full of adrenaline to sleep.

He'd clean himself up and go digging through the internet for a distraction. Cat videos. A near bottomless rabbit hole of Wikipedia articles. Reddit's no-sleep forum. (Because he wasn't sleeping either way so why would it matter?)

And then there was the one time he'd found himself watching something filthy, (although, he now knows it was pretty vanilla) and inevitably got aroused, and got off, sleep finally finding him when orgasm pulled all the tension from his battered body.

And he'd figured that was as a good a way to get some fucking shut-eye as anything else. He hadn't quite realized it at the time, the connections his brain might have been making from the repetition,

Get the living shit beat out of you, jerk off, pass out, wash rinse repeat.

The neurological wires that might have gotten a bit crossed and tangled-

Good Accidents happen sometimes too.

He's usually already aroused by the time he gets home now, his cunt dripping just as much as any fresh wounds.

He lets out a hiss of a breath, lessens the pressure on the cut, dragging his hand up along the length of it, a feather-light touch that makes the pain fade to a tingling sensation that has him shuddering.

He's already got his other hand between his legs, working at his clit. He rolls onto his side as he fingers himself, the bruises on his hip lighting up in protest. He bites down hard on his scraped up forearm to muffle himself.

He doesn't last long after that.

Danny knows the whole thing is pretty fucked up. He doesn't let himself linger on it as he finally tends to himself in the bathroom. That cut from Skulker's hunting knife could stand to be rinsed out, the bruises get left alone, the scrapes on his arm aren't scrapes so much as mild road burn, he'll need to pick out the miniscule bits of asphalt out and wrap it-

A lot of things wrong with his life go right back to ghost fights.

Failing grades, chronic insomnia, the fight or flight response that clicks on every damn time his parents walk into the room probably isn't doing his blood pressure any favors-

Yeah.

May as well add masochistic tendencies to the list.

~~~

Vlad doesn't hate what he does.

That's not to say that he enjoys his near constant scrabbling for a foothold in life. His status may be steady, managing money and power isn't the issue- it's managing people (horrible, unpredictable, human beings) that he dislikes. But he doesn't Hate It.

(That's what he keeps telling himself, that "hate" is too strong a word for a necessary evil.)

It'll be worth it, in the end. Once Jack is finally out of the way, Maddie and Daniel by his side, when the boy comes to his senses and realizes the flaws in his judgement-

It should be easier to sway him, now that he's no longer a naive teen, rather, teetering on the cusp of adult-hood.

And there is ever-mounting evidence that Daniel is not nearly as morally inclined as he once claimed to be.

For all his years playing hero, Amity Park is still on the fence about Phantom. Public opinion still sways like a pendulum between praise and condemnation. (His parent's stance on "the ghost boy" has yet to budge an inch in a positive direction.)

And even still, Daniel fights for them.  
But Vlad doubts the nature of the obsession now. There's more there than just a desire to protect and defend, the Sadistic Glee he takes in painting the pavement green is far too obvious. (He doesn't think about the fact that Daniel doesn't seem to care whether it's his Ectoplasm or that of another ghost, that stains the streets.)

~~~  
  
If there's one thing Danny likes about Vlad, it's that the man has never been one to pull his punches.

All the other ghosts have settled into a bit of a routine with him- they think they know when to stop, when he's "had enough." Even Skulker, for all his talk about skinning him alive, the hunter still consistently lets him escape. (Whatever, he probably doesn't want the hunt to end, and Danny can't blame him.)

But Vlad's never been like that.

Plasmius doesn't know when to stop and he fucking loves it.

~~~

  
The way Daniel bares his fangs, (he'd come into them at sixteen) looks more to Vlad like a grin than a snarl.

How many times have they done this dance now? More than enough to memorize each step, each blow. It's like the song that never ends.

Something has to give.

Thankfully, Vlad has a new trick up his sleeve. (Quite literally)

One quick flick of his wrist and the whip unravels, freeing itself with a satisfying crack.

Danny isn't deterred, lunging at him anyway.

Foolish boy

(But Vlad could almost swear that fanged smile grows wider)

He flicks a switch on the new device, and the braided chord glows green. Another flick of the wrist and it's wrapped tightly around Daniel's just as easily. The shock has him dropping a half formed ecto blast as his knees hit the pavement.

Vlad watches him catch his breath, shoulders heaving, bound wrists straining against the energy sapping bind.

Danny catches his gaze with a wry grin, breathless, "Wow, Fruit Loop- not even gonna buy me a drink first?"

(And yeah, Danny knows sex jokes are tasteless, and this is a particularly innapropriate situation for one, but the look on Vlad's face is well worth the momentary lapse in judgement.)

Flushed and sputtering for a comeback for once in his miserable fucking life-

Danny seizes the opening, standing and yanking Vlad forward with his end of the whip. He stumbles, keeping his grip on the handle nonetheless, but it doesn't matter. Danny blurs as he takes flight around him, one, twice, and then the whip is pulled taunt around his neck. His hands fly up instinctively to tug at the rope, and Danny knees him hard in the back, the cord tightening further as his knees hit the ground.

It burns like hell, he can't breath, choking as he fumbles to find the switch again, his visions blurring and Daniel's all but cackling in his ear-

Vlad's hands finally find the handle and extinguish the whip, the length of it going slack around Danny's wrists, and more importantly, his neck. He gasps as he tugs it off his throat.

When Vlad looks up, Danny's dropped to crouch in front of him, toying absentmindedly with the whip.

(He doesn't like the way Daniels looking at him, solem and expressionless, eyes raking over him like he's Something to be examined-)

Danny finally cracks a smile.

(It's more like a strained mockery of a smile, and Vlad's heart just about skips a beat, Jesus when did this stupid boy get so intimidating?)

He stands, folding the whip into the thermos holster on his thigh. He cocks his head as he addresses Vlad, "Ya know, at this point I'd normally say something about turning tables and what not but-" he pauses and shakes his head with a laugh, "You still manage to surprise me sometimes."

"I mean…" his voice drops down to a stage whisper, "Really didn't think you'd be into asphyxiation."

This takes far longer for Vlad's adrenaline racked, oxygen starved brain to understand than it ought to.

Then Danny makes a point of flicking his eyes downward, and raising a brow in such an accusing manner that it forces Vlad to become so very suddenly aware of himself.

(Danny catches the exact moment he realizes his arousal, the deep green flush that explodes across his face, red eyes widening almost comically.)

Vlad stutters for an explanation- but Danny just doesn't care to hear it, laughing hysterically as he flies off, leaving the other Halfa reeling.

~~~

  
Vlad Masters Does Not hyperfixate.

He just. Consistently Over-Analyzes Certain Things.

For example; Daniel Fenton.

He honestly didn't even know where to start with him.

(That's a lie. He knows he should begin with the events of today, because no matter how much he'd like to push them from his mind, what happened simply can't be ignored.)

Vlad had Never had that sort of reaction before. Granted…. Daniel had also never gained the upper hand in such a…. violent fashion before.

(He's not sure if violent is really the right word but he doesn't know how else to describe it.)

He thought he'd already known how the younger Halfa ticked, but that hero-complex of his had clearly devolved into something far less savory and Vlad was…

Well, he really wasn't any better, was he?

Christ.  
Maybe he needed to Analyze himself a little.

~~~

Danny's kind of surprised by how composed Vlad is. Oh, he'd always been a good liar, sure. But he had figured (hoped) the older Halfa would be acting at least a little bit off when his parents had invited him over.

It was really very disappointing.

(Watching Vlad squirm would've been so entertaining.)

Danny shakes his head as though to dispel the thought from his mind and forces himself to focus instead on the new invention his parents are showing off. He tries to appear nonchalant, leaning against a stainless steel countertop as his mother dutifully explains how the device works; magnetic bindings that latch onto ectoplasmic entities just as easily as metal. The cuffs are soon set aside and Danny lets his focus drift as his parents show Vlad weaponry that he’s already been well acquainted with.

Vlad forces himself to feign interest as the Fentons finish up with their impromptu little presentation. He’s not here to see the tech, but that’s the card he plays, explaining that he’d just like another moment to admire their setup down here and that he'll come back upstairs with them in a bit.  
And once they're gone, it’s just him and Daniel, alone in the lab.

Danny is still leaning up against the table, arms crossed, head propped up against the wall, and for a second Vlad thinks he may have managed to fall asleep like that he's standing so still...

Danny catches him staring in the same second, blue eyes flicking open as though he were a porcelain doll.

His lip curls into a sneer, “Take a picture, It’ll last longer.”

Vlad opts to remain amicable instead, carefully disregarding the snide remark, “My apologies, Daniel, I was simply wondering how it was you were managing to sleep standing up."

Danny rolls his eyes as Vlad sidles over to join him against the counter, "Oh, I dunno, maybe I'm part horse, too."

(It's impossible for Vlad to miss the way he tenses as their shoulders brush, how quickly that sneer turns into such a poorly masked snarl)

Danny reigns himself in and narrows his eyes at the the other Halfa, "What do you want, Vlad?"

Vlad only shrugs, "Just wondering how you're doing these days…" he takes a seat on the counter top, trying his damndest to appear calm and relaxed, "Although you've clearly been staying up far too late. Still keeping up with your silly "ghost patrols?"

Danny exhales through gritted teeth, eyes flashing in the low light as they glow green, and Vlad knows he's struck a nerve.

He allows himself to grin, casually drumming his fingers against the counter top as though they were discussing the weather, "Honestly, I don't know why you still bother. It certainly can't be easy, what with your little friends being gone, you haven't even any help-"

Danny lets loose a mirthless bark of a laugh, "Oh, please, fucking spare me the fake concern, we both know that's nothing new," he waves a hand about in the air dismissively, "None of that shit is."

A growl slips past his pursed lips despite his best efforts and Vlad can feel his pulse racing as Danny stares him down, "Just cut the crap already and tell me what you really want."

Vlad can feel his knuckles going white as he reflexively grips the edge of the table, feeling the angry energy radiating off of Daniel. It's as though those piercing green eyes have him pinned and it shakes him to his very core.

It takes actual effort for Vlad to clear his throat and speak, "Answers. I want answers, Daniel."

He can feel his eyes go red as he leans closer to Daniel, his core reacting defensively to the raging miasma rolling off the other Halfa, "What could you possibly be getting out of continuing to play hero?"

He doesn't anticipate Danny's response, couldn't possibly have guessed how loud his unrestrained growl was, how much the violent snap of fangs could echo through the lab, just how close he'd dare get to his face when he ground out his response,

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

And Danny should have expected Vlad's reaction, for the man to panic and throw up a ghostly shield. He doesn't pull away fast enough to escape his parent's newest invention, the length of chain leaping off the table like a snake, locked onto the source of the Ectoplasmic energy in the lab.

Vlad drops his shield, grabbing frantically at his now cuffed wrist, eyes widening as they follow the chain to the matching cuff that's wrapped itself around Daniel's forearm.

And Danny just laughs.

"Smooth move, Ex Lax."

Vlad tries to ignore him. He already knows the cuffs are phase proof but it doesn't stop him from trying. His attempts to blast it off or overload the circuits only result in the chain growing tighter around his wrist.

And Daniel just keeps fucking giggling.

Vlad tugs harshly at the chain connecting them, "This isn't funny! Where's the key?!"

Danny hardly manages to stifle his laughter, "My dad has it."

Vlad swears inwardly, fumbling for his phone with his free hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling your idiot father to come back down here-"

"And what happens when my parents come back and find us like this? Don't you think they'll want to know how two, perfectly normal human beings, got caught in a ghost trap?"

"Ecto-radiation, we've both been exposed-"

"Annnnd you really don't think they've learned to account for that sort of thing by now? With how much other shit my "Ecto-irradiated" ass has set off?"

This gives Vlad more than enough reason to pause, practically hissing at Daniel, "Than what do you suggest we do?"

Danny shrugs, "Well, for starters, you should shut the fuck up."

With that said, Danny grabs the base of his ponytail and none too gently tugs out the ribbon and the bobby pin securing it. Danny gives Vlad the courtesy of ignoring his high pitched yelp, and instead begins picking the lock of his cuff with the stolen hairpin.

Vlad watches, rubbing at his stinging scalp, "How do you know how to pick locks?"

Danny just sighs dramatically, focusing on his work, "What did I just say about shutting up, Fruitloop?"

Vlad doesn't listen, "Something Samantha taught you, I presume?"

Danny scowls, "No, Actually, I taught myself, because it's a useful skill for situations you can't just phase out of."

That shuts Vlad up, and they sit in near silence for another moment, the lab falling quiet aside from the gentle click of Danny's lock picking. When he speaks again, he doesn't even look up at Vlad,

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?"

Vlad scoffs, "That's ludicrous-"

"I don't have to be picking this lock right now, you know."

"Excuse me?"

He shrugs, "I mean, I could just snap this pin in half, and screw us both over. my parents are gonna have to come back down here eventually."

Vlad forces himself to remain calm, to keep his voice level "You're bluffing. You would expose yourself-"

"I've been at the end of my rope for a while, Vlad. Do you really wanna test that theory?"

He says it with such a sense of finality that Vlad can feel the color draining from his face.

Danny lets that ghostly growl slip back into his voice as he levels his gaze at the other Halfa, "Answer me."

"No." Vlad takes a deep breath and meets his gaze, "No, I'd rather not."

And then he nods, seemingly placeated, "Right, cool, so anyway, I know I'm right. I could feel how fucking terrified you were just a minute ago."

Danny shakes his head, "That's why you're here asking all these stupid questions now, isn't it? You don't really give a shit about how I'm doing, you're just scared, because I got the upper hand for once, and decided I wanted to choke you out."

His voice is eerily calm as he continues, "You came to confirm what you already know. That I'm not playing nice anymore. And now you're afraid of what I'll do to you."

It takes Vlad a moment to find his voice, "Then answer my question."

Danny looks up and meets his gaze, "I'm not fighting for anyone but myself." He shakes his head, "I don't give a fuck about Amity anymore, It's not like they ever gave a fuck about me."

With that said, the lock finally gives.

Vlad feels the weight of Daniel's cuff tugging at his wrist as it clatters to the floor, and as the freed Halfa’s stony gaze meets his own, Danny snaps the bobby pin in half between his thumb and forefinger,  
“Oops.”

  
~~~

  
In the end, Vlad has to ask Jack for the key, mumbling some stupid excuse about "testing the cuff's efficiency." His only other option would have been to leave with the damn thing still attached and try and break it off in his lab. And that wasn't really an option when he was trying to stay on the Fenton's good side- Maddie had only just forgiven him for the incident in Wisconsin…  
Better to let them have a laugh at his expense now than to be accused of invention theft later.  
And even after the entire embarrassing ordeal he can't force himself to leave.  
There are still words to be had with Daniel.

He suffers through the rest of Jack's small talk before he manages to excuse himself, under the guise of saying goodbye to Daniel, already sequestered up in his room.

Danny opens the door before he has the chance to knock, "If you're looking for an apology, you're in the wrong place."

Vlad has to rush to catch the door before he can slam it in his face.

He ignores Daniels scowl and simply cuts straight to the chase, "I want a truce."

Danny actually manages to look supposed for a moment, letting out a low whistle, "Wow, surprised you had the balls to ask."

He lets his stance relax, leaning against the door frame, "So what would a truce entail, Vlad?"

Vlad has to keep himself from scoffing, "I'd think that'd be rather obvious-"

"No. Not really- see I think we've gotten well past the point where just agreeing not to fight each other isn't an option. Not really. I want terms and conditions."

Vlad raises an eyebrow, "...Like some sort of contract?"

Danny shrugs, "Sure. Figure out what you want out of this and text me. You have my number. I'll make sure I unblock yours."

With that said, Danny smiles, gently plucks Vlad's hand off the door, and slams it shut.

~~~

**FRUITLOOP: Hello?**

**DANNY: hi**  
**DANNY: whats with the question mark I said Id unblock you**

**FRUITLOOP: Didn't think you'd follow through, honestly.**

**DANNY:<https://tenor.com/view/the-witcher-geralt-geraskier-jaskier-gif-18071583> **

********

****

**FRUITLOOP: Hilarious.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: I know I am but what are you?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Quite serious actually.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: cool. Get down to business, then.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Fine, "terms and conditions,"**  
**-You are, under no uncertain circumstances, to harm or plan to cause harm to myself, be it as Plasmius or Masters.**  
**-In return I will understandably cease to cause any harm to your person, or that of "Danny Phantom."**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Are those terms clear enough for you?**

****

****

****

**DANNY: you forgot about the whole, "not PLANNING to cause harm" part.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: no more Evil Schemes.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: I would have thought it safe to assume that was a given.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: it's never safe to assume when it involves you.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Fine, fair enough.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: I will ALSO refrain from PLANNING to cause you harm.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Are we satisfied now?**

****

****

****

**DANNY: Nope.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: I Got my own terms to give you.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: one: You're no longer allowed in or within a 5 block radius of Fenton works without MY permission. I don't care if my parents invited you. You ask me first.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Funny, I really don't recall Fentonworks being your property.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: It may be their house but it's my haunt.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: If we're speaking in terms of haunts than I'd ask you to stay out of mine as well.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: fair is fair.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: wait are we including city hall or just your house?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: While the mayor's office is TECHNICALLY public property I'd prefer you don't show up un-invited.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: noted. Moving on-**  
**Two: I know you have the place bugged. I want the location of all of your cameras.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: You know I can disarm them remotely.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: oh, I'm sure you can. But I don't trust you to.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Two on the main floor- one in the kitchen, in the light fixture. Second In the living room, very minuscule thing stuck on the TV screen. There's a third in the upstairs hall smoke detector. There are four downstairs, in each corner of the lab.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: and?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: And what? That's all of them.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: thought you had my room bugged too?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: There wasn't any need. The microphone on the hall cam is sensitive enough to hear any important conversations in there. Furthermore, you were still a minor when I had those installed.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: ...wow okay. Guess that would have been a great way to get you caught on some child pornography charges or something huh?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: You said it, not me.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: Lmao, okay.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Are you done?**

****

****

****

**DANNY: Yea**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Good- than I'd like to add one more Clause to this agreement, seeing as you've already asked so much of me.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: Like Not being a Total creep?**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Ignoring that- can you PLEASE ease up on the property damage.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: well that came out of left field.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Daniel, I'm serious it's becoming a bit of an issue, who do you think is responsible for organizing all those repairs???**

****

****

****

**DANNY: UGH OKAY FINEEEE**  
**DANNY: Only because you asked nicely.**  
**DANNY: Never thought I'd hear you say please.**  
**DANNY: Or well, see you type it i guess.**

****

****

****

**FRUITLOOP: Lovely. Glad we could come to an agreement. Goodnight, Daniel.**

****

****

****

**DANNY: yeah whatever. GN, Ya old turd.**

****

****

****


End file.
